The Pakistan government denied permission Friday for its men's field hockey team to play in a four-nation tournament in India starting later this month due to security concerns. Pakistan was due to compete with Germany, the Netherlands and India from Jan. 31-Feb. 9 in the Indian city of Chandigarh. “We feel it will not be safe for our players to play in India and that's why we have not given permission to Pakistan Hockey Federation to compete in a four-nation tournament,” Sports Minister Aftab Jilani told The Associated Press. “The time is not right to allow our hockey team players to go to India.” Last month, India canceled its cricket tour to Pakistan in the wake of November's terrorist attacks in Mumbai in which at least 164 people were killed. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan-based terrorists for the attacks. “When the situation normalizes between the two countries only then we can see whether to send our sports teams to India or not,” Jilani said. The minister said he had consulted Friday with PHF officials, including Pakistan Hockey Federation President Qasim Zia and secretary Asif Bajwa before deciding against sending the hockey team to India. “We held a meeting today with all the top officials of PHF before reaching the decision,” Jilani said. In November, the Indian government denied permission to its junior hockey team to play a five-test series in Pakistan. New Zealand, meanwhile, has accepted India's invitation to replace Pakistan for the tournament. “We were keen on getting a good replacement for Pakistan, and New Zealand will make the competition even tougher,” tournament organizer Pargat Singh, a former India captain, told the Times of India newspaper. The Indian government last month snapped sporting ties with Pakistan after the attacks and refused permission to the cricket team to play a scheduled Test series across the border. The hockey tournament gives India a chance to test its mettle against three top teams as the eight-time Olympic champion rebuild after failing to qualify for the Beijing Games last August. Germany won the gold in Beijing with a 1-0 win over Spain in the final, while the formidable Dutch finished fourth after losing to Australia in the bronze medal playoff. The next major world event for Germany and the Netherlands is the Champions Trophy in Melbourne in November. India and New Zealand did not qualify for the elite six
